SECMD16: Auburn facing crossroads under Malzahn

Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is on the hot seat going into the 2016 season.(Photo: Duane Rankin/Advertiser)

HOOVER -- Back from vacation. Back to work.

Back to reality for Auburn.

Head coach Gus Malzahn and players Carl Lawson, Montravius Adams and Marcus Davis will be asked at Day 1 of SEC Media Days why they've gone from winning the conference in 2013 to finishing last season at 7-6.

It wasn't that long ago Auburn had the most explosive offense in college football that the led the nation in rushing with Tre Mason gashing defenses to an untempo tune that couldn't be stopped.

Malzahn won multiple coach of the year awards. It was all great. The Tigers barely lost to undefeated Florida State in the final BCS National Championship game. So Auburn was expected to pick up where it left off, stay hot under Malzahn and contend for a national title.

Then the rest of SEC starting catching up.

As former Auburn running back Corey Grant said, defenses were better prepared to stop the Tigers. Then last season, Jeremy Johnson was suppose to take Auburn's offense to another level. Exuding confidence, the Montgomey native was in Hoover last year with the spotlight shining on him as a Heisman Trophy candidate and sounded up for the challenge.

Then the season started. Johnson turned the ball over at will early. The offense flopped. The defense lost Carl Lawson to an injury in the opener and struggled under eventually one-and-done defensive coordinator Will Muschamp, who got a second chance to work as a head coach at South Carolina.

Now Auburn is at a crossroads under Malzahn, He must deliver or put Auburn in a situation in which it has to decide to keep him or let go of athletic director Jay Jacobs. Auburn can't go 6-6 again and one of those two still have a job at Auburn.

Considered Malzahn's $8.95 million buyout, odds say Jacobs would get the boot first if Auburn finishes the regular season at .500.

Alabama is coming off winning a national championship while Auburn seems light years from reaching that level. However, the Tigers were in the same boat when Malzahn arrived following an 0-8 SEC run under Gene Chizik and had the biggest turnaround in college football history.

Can John Franklin III be the savior at quarterback and get Auburn's offense back to the 2013 form it had under Nick Marshall? Can Lawson be the difference maker for a defense that's has plenty of talent and youth depth front with Adams leading the way?

Can Malzahn turn Auburn around -- again. Those questions won't start to really get answered until Sept. 3 when Clemson shows up at Jordan-Hare Stadium with Heisman Trophy candidate Deshaun Watson. Until then, all Auburn can do is talk about what it's going to do.